Lafayette point guard Nick Lindner's first impression on Villanova men's basketball team lasted

Rich Schultz / AP

American guard Jesse Reed, left, wins control of the ball from Lafayette guard Nick Lindner (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game for the Patriot League tournament championship at Lafayette in Easton, Pa., Wednesday, March 11, 2015.

American guard Jesse Reed, left, wins control of the ball from Lafayette guard Nick Lindner (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game for the Patriot League tournament championship at Lafayette in Easton, Pa., Wednesday, March 11, 2015. (Rich Schultz / AP)

Nick Lindner's first impression as a college basketball player was a good one.

Nick Lindner is not the nervous type.

Lafayette College's sophomore point guard loves to play on the road. Coaches often find him looking to pump up teammates.

His first game with the Leopards served as an exception.

In the week before Lafayette visited Villanova to open the 2013-14 men's basketball season, Lindner felt ill and had trouble concentrating in his classes. He wound up getting sick before the Leopards faced the Wildcats at The Pavilion.

"I was a wreck, man," Lindner recalled Monday, with another matchup against Villanova looming. "When I got in there, I realized it was just basketball. After that, it was an amazing experience."

Lindner impressed Villanova coach Jay Wright and the Wildcats with his play in his college debut. He scored eight points, dished out seven assists and grabbed four rebounds while playing 33 minutes in Lafayette's 75-59 loss Nov. 8, 2013.

Lafayette and Villanova have each played over 60 games since then. The Wildcats (32-2 overall) have blossomed into one of the best teams in America, earning the No. 1 seed for the East Region of the NCAA Tournament this season.

Lindner has grown into one of the premier point guards in the Patriot League. He won the league's tournament MVP last week after leading Lafayette to its first PL championship since 2000.

Villanova's defensive focus will be forcing the ball from Lindner's hands when the Wildcats face the No. 16 seed Leopards in a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup Thursday evening in Pittsburgh (6:50 p.m.). They saw last year that it isn't easy to knock Lindner off stride.

"JayVaughn [Pinkston] said that to me right up there, he said, 'They've got that guard from Philly that was tough,' " Wright said Sunday after Villanova learned it was facing Lafayette. "So they'll have great respect for these guys.

"He put some numbers on us the last time we played," Wright added. "He's going to be tough to handle."

Lindner hails from a Philadelphia suburb — he grew up in Doylestown, Bucks County — and played his high school basketball at Germantown Academy. He plays with the tenacity most people associate with Philly guards.

Everyone in the Patriot League had trouble with Lindner down the stretch. He averaged 23.7 points in Lafayette's PL tournament wins over Boston University, Bucknell and American.

Lindner has averaged 20.7 points and 6.1 assists over Lafayette's last seven games. The Leopards have gone 6-1 over that time.

Like Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon, a Villanova graduate, Lindner has ties to the Leopards' next opponent. He counts former Germantown Academy and Villanova guard Alvin Williams as one of his mentors. Germantown Academy assistant coach Jon Haynes, another of Lindner's basketball teachers, also played for the Wildcats.

"I still talk to them all the time," Lindner said. "They've helped me so much throughout the process of being a college basketball player. I owe a lot to them."

Lindner missed a call from Williams on Sunday; he said he planned to get back to him Monday. Haynes sent Lindner a short, simple text message Sunday after the Villanova-Lafayette matchup was set: "See you in Pittsburgh."

Lindner will head to western Pennsylvania without the nerves that accompanied his first meeting with Villanova. After the Leopards won the Patriot League title Wednesday, he knew running into the Wildcats was a possibility. He enjoyed the off days O'Hanlon gave the Leopards on Thursday and Saturday, allowing him a chance to rest legs that have been battered through his relentless late-season drives into the paint.

With the Villanova-Lafayette matchup now a few days away, Lindner has started to focus on what it will take for Lafayette to record a historic win. The NCAA Tournament has still never produced a No. 16 seed upsetting a No. 1 seed.

Lindner will do his best to have his teammates ready to go from tip time.

"Watching them [the Wildcats] play, they do that zone press," he said. "So taking care of the ball is big.

"You've just got to be tough against this team," he added. "This is a really tough team. They crash the boards and play with a lot of intensity. Definitely rebounding and toughness are the keys."